The Future of You
by iloveromance
Summary: Niles is ready to move foreword with his future, but first he must rid himself from the demons of his past, both real and imagined. Third in a trilogy (to "My Beloved" and "Acting on a Dream") written as a belated Christmas gift for Pat2Trivia4Me.


_**A/N: I hadn't really planned for this to end up as the third installment of a trilogy,**_ _**(The first two being "My Beloved" and "Acting on a Dream") but inspiration struck. Written as a belated Christmas gift to Pat2Trivia4me in thanks for his encouragement, friendship and support! **_

His heart thundered as he sat in the waiting room, a sea of blurred faces around him. He was barely aware of the softly spoken words of sympathy, the gentle touches and the hushed whispers that he received from his family and friends.

Through his tears he could see Roz Doyle sitting in a chair by the window crying softly and he wanted so much to comfort her. She shouldn't be here alone but he couldn't bring himself to move. She had every right to be in as much pain as he. She had been such a good friend to his wife, and for that he couldn't thank her enough.

His wife…

The thought made his heart swell. Never in his life had he dreamed that she would finally be his. After years of wishing, hoping and even dreaming, he'd finally found a love that was deeper than any ocean on earth. But now he felt as though he was drifting out to see, further and further out to sea, away from his angel.

Once again, his eyes filled with tears and he wondered if this pain would ever go away. But in truth he deserved every emotion he was feeling, no matter how much it hurt. It was his fault. If he hadn't been driving so erratically… but he was just so _angry_. About what, he had no idea, nor did he have any recollection of what fueled his anger. All he knew was that the argument was his fault. And in his unexplained rage, he'd turned to her in the car, shouting obscenities and other things that no man should ever utter to a woman; especially a woman like his wife whom he loved so intensely.

And as his rage boiled even hotter, he had failed to see the oncoming car that swerved in their direction until it was too late. A sound ensued like nothing he had heard before and then silence.

That silence was broken by the sound of blaring sirens, people asking if they were all right. But all he could see was his angel, lying in the mangled car, the color of red slowly consuming her body; and then silence once again.

Now he was filled with numbness and unimaginable guilt. He never-

"Dr. Crane?"

He looked up, only faintly aware that he was being spoken to.

"Y-yes?" He managed.

"May I speak to you for a moment?"

Niles swallowed hard and glanced at his father and brother. All eyes were on him as they waited breathlessly for the news. "O-of course." He stammered.

"I'm Dr. Bronson, the physician in charge of your wife's case."

Woodenly Niles shook the man's hand but inside he was fuming. How dare this Dr. Bronson refer to his wife as merely a case! She wasn't some _statistic_, she was…

"Dr. Crane did you hear what I said?"

Niles nodded, but the silent answer was a lie, for he had absolutely no recollection of what he was just told. And when he finally found a voice in which to speak; his words were rushed, urgent.

"I-is she all right? I-is she in any pain? Can I see her?"

Dr. Bronson sighed deeply, his expression grim. "I'm sorry Dr. Crane. She's gone."

The earth seemed to collapse from underneath him and he felt himself falling faster and faster into a deep dark hole of despair. He couldn't cry, couldn't move, couldn't even breathe and his chest felt as though he'd been physically wounded.

But no flesh wound could possibly hurt this badly.

All around him he could hear gasps and sobs of those unable to believe what they were hearing and then he was surrounded by those that he loved, holding him close as they whispered words of comfort. But he would never find comfort in anything, nor would he ever be okay. The thought was impossible, for the woman he loved was gone forever.

"Do you want to see her?"

Niles nodded, only vaguely aware of the doctor's question. And then two hands were on his back now, squeezing gently. "Come on Niles. Let's go and say goodbye. It'll be okay."

Angrily, Niles jerked out of his brother's arms. "NO IT WON'T, FRASIER!" he yelled as loudly as possible. "It'll NEVER be okay, don't you see that? She's GONE! The woman I love is gone! She's…"

His voice broke and at that moment, all of the sorrow he'd been holding in unleashed itself in a sea of pain and tears. He fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, his hands covering his face. The tears trickled down his cheeks dampening his fingers and palms.

"_I'm so sorry, Daphne. I'm so sorry… I love you so much! Please forgive me, I'm so sorry…"_

Darkness surrounded him then and he felt as though he were floating. His sobs, although they continued, were less pronounced and he found that he no longer struggled to breathe. Perhaps it was the soothing hand moving up and down his back.

Unlike before the touch was amazingly comforting, almost a though an angel was sent to ease his pain. Slowly he felt calmness come over him, along with the faint scent of a familiar perfume…. _Obsession_. It was almost as though she was right here beside him instead of…

Soft fingertips brushed the tears from his cheeks and it felt so real that he could actually feel it. But that was impossible because Daphne was….

"It's all right, my Darling. I'm here. Don't cry." The sweet voice whispered. And then two arms wrapped around him, drawing him clos. The scent consumed him, filling his senses. It seemed impossibly real.

"Hush now… It was just another nightmare. You're safe now… with me."

The sweet faraway voice suddenly seemed closer than ever. His eyes slowly opened and he gasped in surprise.

"Oh my God…Daphne…"  
"Yes it's me, Darling."  
"B-but how…"

She smiled and kissed his mouth, letting her lips linger on his. And he found that he couldn't pull away. His hand gently grasped her shoulder, pulling her closer and the kisses instantly became more demanding, more passionate. His mouth burned with longing for her and the intense kisses deepened. He knew it was wrong, so very wrong, for so many reasons, but it felt so right.

"I'm sorry." He whispered against her mouth. "I'm so sorry…"  
In response, she drew back and ran her fingers through his hair. "Hush now, it's all right."  
"But… our fight… those… those terrible things I said… and then the crash… you were…. Gone forever, so how…"

When his voice broke unexpectedly, she took him into her arms and held him, stroking his back while he cried. The sobs racked his shivering body and she wrapped a nearby blanket around his shoulders and held him closer.

"Just relax…" She whispered, the way she might speak to a small, frightened child. "It's all right."  
"I-I love you, Daphne." He sobbed against her chest.  
Her cheek rested against his. "I love you too, Darling. Now get some rest."

"Don't…" he shuddered when she began to rise from the sofa. "Don't leave me, please."  
In response she smiled and kissed his forehead. "I won't. I promise I'll stay right here with you."

He'd no sooner drifted off to sleep when his eyes opened again and a strange feeling of guilt consumed him. And when he abruptly pulled out of her arms, she stared at him in shock.

"What's wrong?"  
Reluctantly he rose from the sofa. "I should go."

"B-but why? I thought…"

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice boomed. "Niles, I thought you'd gone home! What are you still doing here?"

"Dr. Crane, leave Niles alone!" Daphne yelled. "Can't you see he's hurting?"  
Niles smiled and touched her cheek. "It's all right, Daphne. I don't belong here."

To his dismay, Daphne's eyes filled with tears, which he gently brushed away. "Why are you crying? Everything will be all right."  
She covered his hand with hers and smiled. "Please don't say that you don't belong here. This is your home and you can stay as long as you like."  
Niles smiled and kissed her tenderly. "Thank you my love. But I really should go. I am still married… in a sense."

His words made her draw back slightly and she averted her eyes. "Your wife…. Niles, I'm so sorry. I should have never…"  
He gently placed his fingers on her lips. "Daphne, no. This isn't your fault."  
"But…"  
"Daphne, Maris is my past and she has so little regard for me that I can't help but wonder how we've managed to stay married for so long. Or why I wasted all of those years with her."  
"Niles…"

"But no more!" he said firmly. "I refuse to waste another minute of my life!"  
He watched her intently as she swallowed hard. "Wh-what are you saying?"

Niles took her hand in both of his, kissing it tenderly. "I'm saying that I love you, Daphne. And that I love you so much. You're my future. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. If you'll have me."

"Niles, what in the hell do you think you're doing?" Martin yelled. "You can't propose to Daphne! You're still married!"

Niles looked at his father and brother and sighed in frustration. "You're right. And it's best that I go home to my wife. I'll try to explain the circumstances that led to my coming here. She's sure to be angry, perhaps even throw me out of the house. But that's all right, because it means that I can see Daphne again. And when my divorce is final, I'll spend the rest of my life making Daphne happy."

She sniffled and cradled his face in her hands, kissing him once more. "You already have made me happy. I love you."  
"Well… I've seen enough of this!" Martin yelled. "I'm starving so I guess I'll get my own breakfast!"  
Daphne rose from the sofa. "I'll make your breakfast, Mr. Crane. I'll just see Niles out."

Amazingly Martin smiled. "Thanks, Daphne. And Niles, if you need anything you know where to find us."

Touched by his father's rare display of sentiment, Niles rose from the sofa and crossed the room, startling Martin by embracing him. "Thanks, Dad."  
Daphne and Niles smiled at one another and then walked into the hallway. It was all too easy to find a secluded spot where they moved together and wrapped their arms around each other; her head resting against his chest.

"If you have any nightmares or need anything at all, you know where to find me."  
He kissed her softly and stared into her eyes. "Right here…" He said, putting her hand on his chest. "You're always in my heart, Daphne. Always."

A series of blissful, passionate kisses followed and with great reluctance he drew back. With a gentle touch, he brushed a lock of hair from her face and then stepped into the elevator. "I love you." He whispered, blowing her a kiss.

"I love you too, Sweetheart." She said. It was hard not to notice the tears in her eyes as the elevator doors closed and he longed to reclaim his place in her arms. But he needed to go home and deal with more pressing issues.

Finding the right lawyer could be tedious and the entire divorce process could take weeks, perhaps even months before he would finally be free of Maris. But he knew in the end it would be more than worth it.

He could hardly wait for his future to begin.

_**THE END**_


End file.
